Planning a Trip? Technology is your Friend

Over the past few months, I have been tasked with planning for a routine business trip to Vancouver BC. Now normally this trip is about a a week and a half and I have stayed with the existing Grocery Stores and restaurants that have served me well on previous trip.

This trip, however, will actually be much longer in length, and it got me to thinking about options which will allow me to stay with in the budget AND not get a constant feed of the same meals the entire time that I'm away, and this is where Technology came into play.

Armed with the tools of Google Search, Google and Apple Maps and of course Yelp for reviews. I set out to locate a website which would give Me estimates on Taxi Fares in the City, this being very helpful as on average I would like to keep the cost to around $10 each direction.

The next step was to locate a Starbucks, because everyone needs a "Mobile Office" when on the road.  With the Mobile office located, I turned the task to places where I can eat a quick meal at a low price, and of course quickly had the usual suspects of McDonalds, Wendy's and Subway mapped.  From there, I decided to flip over to the Television, where Food network programs (and my trusty old blackberry Playbook) allowed me to find a few local to my location yet off the beaten path places to eat, and of course back to Google Search for Websites and PDF Menus in order to gage prices and hours, along with Yelp for reviews.

The final results of the search so far have proven very effective in creating a spreadsheet in Numbers (for access on the iPhone / iPad when on the go) of locations, distance from where I'm staying and the estimated Fare per direction.

As you can see, Technology has made what could have been a dull trip into something with some adventure.  Well Designed Websites allows a traveler to pre-plan their adventure prior to departure,and can actually bring new customers into your Business from out of town, Customers who will recommend places to their friends, like how I found to search for one Dinner.  Throw in apps for things like your Alarm Clock, navigating the Airport,  managing the budget with a good Spreadsheet software and a Scanner app,  and the traveler is pretty much set

if you are a Traveler What do you use to plan for a trip, any Favorites? If you are a Business, how helpful is Your Web Presence for those outside the City Limits? Leave your comments below